1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to suction cleaners and particularly to an improved power nozzle construction normally used at the end of a wand of a suction cleaner. More particularly, the invention relates to the construction of such a power nozzle having an improved swivel connection between the wand and nozzle housing, a three-section base cover plate enclosing the bottom of the nozzle housing, a central engagement of the drive belt with the rotary brush, and an improved adjustment means for raising and lowering the front of the nozzle housing with respect to a surface being cleaned.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A usual power nozzle of a suction cleaner is removably mounted on the end of a wand which in turn is connected by a flexible hose with a tank cleaner or a canister-type cleaner. The nozzle has an elongated main suction chamber and inlet opening extending crosswise of the direction of movement of the nozzle across the floor. A brush is mounted in the suction chamber and is driven by an electric motor mounted within the nozzle housing.
Most prior nozzle housings have a one-piece removable base plate which encloses the bottom of the nozzle housing. Removal of this base plate permits access to the brush, motor and other nozzle components for maintenance and for replacement of the drive belt which connects the motor to the brush. Access also is desirable to permit removal of large debris or objects which collect or lodge in the brush chamber or main suction duct. This base plate usually is mounted on the housing by a plurality of screws or bolts which must be manually removed to provide the desired access into the housing interior. The removal of these attachment screws is both time consuming and troublesome to many housekeepers, especially when access is only desired to the suction chamber, rotatary brush or suction duct for removal of lodged debris or belt replacement.
Many known power nozzles are provided with means for adjusting the height of the suction chamber openings and power driven brush with respect to a surface being cleaned to compensate for the various types of floors and carpets. Most of these known nozzle adjustment means only provide several positive adjustment heights, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,540. Housekeepers at times desire an adjustment height between the allowable adjustment positions of prior nozzles due to various peculiarities and characteristics of a surface being cleaned which is not possible to obtain with known nozzle adjustment means.
Most power nozzles are connected to a suction cleaner wand by a pivotally or swivelly mounted connection which is formed as a part of the nozzle housing. The swivel connection usually has a short section of tube extending outwardly from the housing for telescopic engagement with the lower end of the suction cleaner wand. Examples of known swivel connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,642,617, 3,184,775, 3,391,418 and 3,614,705. Although the connectors of these patents and others used in various suction cleaners usually accomplished their intended purpose, it is desirable to reduce the sliding friction between the swivel member and its associated housing socket to facilitate the cleaning operation while maintaining a generally air-tight seal at this location to provide maximum suction at the cleaning nozzle.
Most power driven nozzles have an electric motor mounted within the nozzle housing which drives a rotary brush through a short, continuous flexible drive belt. The belt usually engages one end of the brush due to the particular mounting arrangement of the motor, suction duct, and other components within the nozzle housing, although center belt drives have been known. This engagement of the drive belt with an end of the brush may cause unbalanced forces to be exerted on the bearings or mounting bushings at the brush ends.
Thus, the need exists in the suction cleaner field for an improved power driven nozzle construction having a nozzle housing base plate formed of a plurality of plate sections, each of which can be removed easily to provide access to the various sections of the interior, and particularly to provide easy access to the suction duct and brush chamber; which nozzle has a swivel connector that reduces the sliding friction between the connector and nozzle housing while maintaining an air-tight seal; which nozzle includes means for obtaining numerous adjustment positions of the nozzle suction opening with respect to a surface being cleaned; and in which the drive belt engages the midpoint of the rotary brush. No suction cleaner power nozzle construction of which we are aware has a construction combining all of such features for achieving these results.